Iggy Pop: ‘Music today is like cheap drinks in a bad supermarket’

Iggy Pop has said that music today is like “cheap drinks you get in a bad supermarket”.

The Stooges man, who is the ambassador for Record Store Day 2012, posted a video on the official Record Store Day site suggesting that modern rockers lack authenticity.

He said:

I think there are some ages, like the one we’re living in, when the game is kind of rigged towards products that contain music – sort of like those cheap drinks you get in a bad supermarket where it says, ‘Contains 10% juice.’

He went on to add: “There’s a lot of stuff out there with a bit of music to it, and I think that’s OK, but it reminds me of how bad it was to turn on American Bandstand in the ’50s and see all the endless, gutless, dickless imitations of Elvis that the American industry decided to push on the kids.”

Last year, Iggy Pop revealed that he was working on new material with the Stooges, specifically with James Williamson, the guitarist in the band. The punk legend said that he and Williamson penned 10 tracks together at his house in Miami earlier this year and would continue to “keep writing” new songs, although he refused to confirm whether they would be released as a studio album.

This year’s Record Store Day takes place on April 21 and will see exclusive releases and special shows to celebrate independent record shops.

Speaking about his role as ambassador, Iggy said: “I got my name, my musical education and my personality all from working at a record store during my tender years. Small indie shops have always been a mix of theatre and laboratory. In the ’50s and ’60s the teen kids used to gather after school at these places to listen free to the latest singles and see if they liked the beat.”

The likes of Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, The Clash, Laura Marling and Miles Kane will all issue new releases for this year’s Record store Day. For more information, visit recordstoreday.com.